Covering all things books from the beautiful lakeside in WI

What if I told you that you could have one more conversation with a loved one that has passed? What if you no longer had to wonder "if only?" What if it was possible for you to finally say "I love you" instead of missing your opportunity? What if I told you that you could go to heaven? What would you do? What would you give up? Would you do it? The Beyond Experience by Michael Reid Jr. sets his foundational plot with this premise while weaving together a story about love, redemption, friendship, deception, jealousy, and faith.

Dr. Ethan Lewis has created a groundbreaking treatment for anxiety and depression. With his trusted lab assistant Kyle, they begin researching the effectiveness of their treatment on patients. Dr. Lewis and Kyle push the limits of their treatment and stumble upon an amazing discovery. Not only are their treatments 100% effective, all patients are describing eerily similar descriptions of what could only be characterized as heaven. Could patients possibly be gaining a momentary glimpse into heaven? Dr. Lewis, a natural skeptic, is not so sure. Especially for a man who has never experienced the goodness of a so called God shine on him. The death of his fiancée and the beatings he experienced during his childhood are proof of that. Dr. Lewis and Kyle explore the possibilities of this exciting treatment as they press farther into worlds unknown, each willing to assume the risks for their own selfish reasons. But this type of power, this type of experience in the wrong hands could be disastrous. Because of this treatment, Dr. Lewis, Kyle, and their staff will experience love and hate, loyalty and betrayal, curiosity and greed, gain and loss, and the earth and what is beyond.

The Beyond Experience has everything you are looking for in a good novel. A storyline that grips you from the beginning, relatable and lovable characters, twists and surprises that will keep your fingers anxiously awaiting to turn the next page. The author does an excellent job of immersing you in the world of medicine and medial research without overwhelming you with details and medial jargon. You are easily swept away by the story and not bogged down by the technical aspect. In fact, don't let the medical suspense/Si-fi/ label scare you away. This novel is more about love, friendship and redemption with a medical plot as its background. The skeletal bones of this story capture the basic human questions we all deal with. What is love? What happens when we die? Why do bad things happen? This is why The Beyond Experience will appeal to a wide variety of readers. We all share the same basic experiences in humanity.

The Beyond Experience is a good combination of Romeo and Juliet plus Grey's Anatomy. When you are finished with this novel you will want to immediately start reading it again. I found myself echoing the words of Bryan McKnight: "and I started back at one." Chapter one that is.